Breaking From The Herd-Being your Authentic Self
Being Your Authentic Self – Breaking From The Herd By: Donna Daacke
Imagine a world where everything was exactly the same as the next. Everyone has the exact same taste in clothing, same hair color and style, same house, car and exactly 1.2 children, I don’t think the last is even possible! Never the less, you see my point. We each are born with such uniqueness, strengths, and gifts. Often times we go through life however, marching to the beat of someone else’s drum. We have lost the connection to our beautiful authentic self. When we look at nature verses nurture, maybe somewhere in the process we learn to conform to society through nurture and our nature is lost to the herd mentality. But what if we broke out of the herd? What if we explored that individual uniqueness and basis for our authentic power? Breaking from the herd requires being aware and being brave. Letting go of the idea of how outside influences think we should act, do, or be. Of course, this doesn’t mean we disregard structure and responsibility.
But what if we could find the joy in being our truest self while being a part of the whole? How do we explore that? It begins with practicing conscious awareness, paying attention. Opening up to your inner voice, that part of you that is a guiding resource. It speaks to you but, in autopilot we silence it. Pay attention to what guides you, what are the basis of your choices. How do those choices feel to you, where are feeling them in your body? Do they align with who and what you really see yourself as, or is it the story that I tell to the world? Finding love and joy in expressing has a trickle down effect. Sort of like the saying “if mom’s happy, everybody’s happy” if your happy, you spread happiness.
As you start to explore this concept, you will become braver in allowing the authenticity to flow because it will feel good. Try opening up to your beautiful best self by practicing stillness and listening. Start with taking 10 minutes of still time no distractions. Explore areas of your life that may feel out of alignment and then ask the questions, how do get in alignment, listen and write it down and then follow your consciously led choices.